


Pretenders

by mthrfkrgdhrwego (universalchampbalor)



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: African Characters, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Eventual Relationships, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Hidden Relationships, M/M, Scarification, Strict Parenting, Tribal Body Modifications
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-06
Updated: 2016-08-09
Packaged: 2018-04-19 01:23:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4727486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/universalchampbalor/pseuds/mthrfkrgdhrwego
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zari Iweala was stood up. And embarrassed out of her mind. Until a tall, Russian man with white hair swooped in, pretended to be her date, and saved her from the humiliation. </p><p>And when her parents find out she has a 'boyfriend', they want to meet him. And that means meeting her twin brother.</p><p>Zylen is...a character, to say the least. So when he starts falling in love and subsequently dating his sister's fake boyfriend, things get complicated.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. одно

Zari couldn't believe this. 

She'd been waiting at some fancy restaurant, one of the millions in New York, waiting for her date. Her coworker Oliver, one of the other engineers at the company, had asked her out. He told her a time and place and made sure she'd meet him there.

And he was nowhere to be seen. It had been almost two hours, so it wasn't like she was being paranoid. The other patrons and servers kept giving her pitying looks and she was certain that the group of teenage boys sitting across from her were snickering at her. She sighed and looked down, flexing her long, ring-adorned fingers. Her curly hair was pulled on top of her head, though it still splayed out in several directions.

She was about to leave when he showed up.

Not Oliver-no, he was _nowhere_ to be seen. It was a tall, muscular man with tanned skin and white hair with thick, dark brown roots. He was wearing a dark blue button up and nice slacks, along with...running shoes? He strode over to Zari and placed a kiss on her temple. "I'm so sorry I'm late! There was terrible traffic and Jessie wouldn't let me leave until an hour later than usual." He placed another kiss on her other temple and whispered "My name is Pietro, just go with it." His voice held a thick Russian-like accent. He leaned away and sat across from her.

They ordered as soon as the waitress came back. The man, Pietro, spoke as if they were old friends, but also asked Zari's name and what she did for a living. He seemed surprised that she was a civil engineer. She wasn't offended; most people couldn't see a dark skinned woman barely in her 20s being an engineer. "So, why'd you come up to me?" She asked eventually, breaking the comfortable silence that settled over the pair. Pietro smiled. "I was walking past and saw a pretty girl sitting alone, looking embarrassed, and made my own assumptions. You were stood up, yes?" She nodded slightly. "Well, whoever didn't show up is a хуй." The last word he said was Russian, and the meaning was lost on Zari. He smiled at her confused look. "It means...he's rude." He said with a chuckle. She nodded and laughed. "Yeah. _He_ asked _me_ out, too." She said bitterly. He shrugged. "Oh well, his loss."

Zari smiled at the indirect compliment. She glanced at her phone and saw the time. "Oh, crap. It's getting late. I had fun. I'll see you later...?" She said questioningly. Pietro smiled. "Sure. Can I walk you home?" He asked politely. She laughed. "Sure. My dad might interrogate you, so be prepared." She joked. Her father used to be an important tribesman back in Africa, and he still held that attitude. Pietro nodded. "My sister is the same way."

It took them around 10 minutes to walk back to Zari's brownstone. She turned and smiled at Pietro. "Well, this is my place." She said, slightly awkwardly. There was silence, and then they broke out laughing. "Here's my number. Call me if you need anything or want to hang out. Goodnight." Pietro said, placing a slip of paper into Zari's hand. He stopped and looked at her for a second. "I had fun tonight. Sorry, princessa, but I'm..." He struggled with his words and settled upon pressing the tip of his index finger and thumb together and splayed his fingers in a gesture very reminiscent of the 'ok' sign before walking away with a wave. Zara understood what he meant.

She waved back and looked at the paper while walking back inside. His number and name was scrawled down sloppily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> хуй-Dick  
> The 'ok' hand sign being flashed means, in several European countries, that you're gay.


	2. Meji

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Idowu is not pleased when Zari arrives home.

The moment Zari got in the apartment, Iduwo was on her.

"Eni ti a pe?" He asked in Yoruba. He had spent most of his life in West Africa, so he had trouble with English.

Zari rolled her eyes. "A ore. A ní ale." She responded back, pushing past her elderly father to make her way to her room. When she got there, she saw her twin brother, Zylen, sitting on her bed. He was carefully rolling his hair between his hands, shaping the dreadlocks into their correct shape.

"Who was that outside? Your boyfriend?" He asked, not looking away from his mirror. Zari huffed. "No. He's just a friend. Now can you get off my bed please? Your room is right next door." She said, pointing out into the hallway. She began taking her hair down, shaking out the curls as they fell down to her jaw. "Your room has better lighting." He said, finally meeting her black eyes with ones identical.

"Fine. Can you just sit on the chair? I want to lay down." She said, kicking off her heels. Zylen grumbled something under his breath before moving over to the armchair in the edge of the room. Zari shimmied out of her dress and put on her sweatpants and a loose shirt after taking off her bra.

It was normal for Zylen to camp out in her room. The sun and lamp lights always illuminated her room better than his, so he was in there when he took care of his hair or did his artwork. She walked over to her dresser and leaned over, grabbing her makeup remover and a tissue. She began to clean off her makeup, the room silent except for Zylen's humming. "Are you  _sure_ that wasn't your boyfriend? You two looked pretty friendly." He said, sliding a thick wooden bead onto one of his dreads. Zari huffed and turned to look her brother in the eye. "I'm sure. And, besides, he's gay." She said, flashing the handsign that Pietro had flashed outside. Zylen nodded suspiciously. "Whatever you say, little sis." He said, going back to beading and adorning his dreadlocks. 

"I'm older than you!" "By 16 minutes!" "Still!"

"Idakẹjẹ!" Iwudo shouted from his room. "Nuru, Nuru!" Zari shouted back. Zylen looked lost, as he always did when Yoruba was spoken. He only spoke English and had made no attempts at learning their father's native tongue. He said the scarification on his arm, back and chest was enough effort in trying to connect with their father. 

Their mother died when they were small. A mostly white woman in the tribes of Dagomba didn't last long. One thing she made sure of though, was that the twins and Iduwo made it to the US to have a better life. She tried her best, and she succeeded. Her daughter was an engineer, and her son was a prosthetist. Iduwo, however, was bitter about leaving his home country. He shut down, really, and blocked out his kids and the rest of the world. He never really tried like he had when they were five down in Africa, where he'd show them how to hunt and make weapons, and to make art and clothing.

He was getting older though, approaching his 80s. Zari and Zylen basically raised each. But that just made them stronger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eni ti a pe?-Who was that?  
> A ore. A ní ale.-A friend. We had dinner.  
> Idakẹjẹ!-Quiet!  
> Nuru, Nuru!-Alright, alright!


	3. Три

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zari's friend want to know all about her mystery man. So she decide to grill him.

Zari's phone rang shrilly. "Hello?" She asked. "Hi." The voice was familiar, holding a thick accent. She grinned. "Hey Pietro. What's up?" She answered, taking a sip from her drink. "I was wondering if you wanted to hang out today. I don't have plans and Wanda wants me out of the house." He asked sheepishly. "Sure. My friends and I are hanging out around Time Square. I'll send you the address?" She said questioningly. "Yeah, sure. I'll be there soon." He said before hanging up. Zari sent him a text with the address of the cafe they were hanging out at.

Jun raised an eyebrow. "Who was that?" Prosper and Grier mirrored her curiosity. Zari took a moment to examine her friends. Jun was wearing a pale blue sweater with fluffy clouds of white on it, as well as a high waisted galaxy skirt. A white cloth pollution mask with 身体 sewn onto the front clung to her face. Zari knew here was a gas mask in her bag. She was from Beijing, and would be living in the US for a few years.  She was playing with her hair, which was an obnoxiously bright pink that faded into an obnoxiously bright blue. 

Grier was taking drags from her cigarette, her pale hands in delicate white gloves. Her hair was mostly black, though there was a section up front that was bleached to a near white blonde. Her bangs were pulled up onto her head, curling in on itself. She was wearing on of her  _many_ 50's style dresses, this one black with white polka dots and a red halter strap. Large, over-exaggerated round sunglasses covered her eyes.

Prosper was sitting quietly, his hands folded in his lap. His pale teal hair reached down to his chin and curled inwards at the tips. A few small bruises broke the porcelain tone of his skin. His green innocent eyes were wide and framed with long lashes. He was wearing a white button up, a dark grey vest, along with dark grey shorts that ended above his knees and tall white socks that barely peeked over the tops of his laced boots. He was the oldest of the group at 24, but looked like he was still a preteen. 

"A friend. I was stood up on a date last night, so he saved me from the embarrassment. And  _no,_ I'm not dating him." Zari said before anyone could even ask. "Is that why you ignored my call last night?" Grier asked, her raised eyebrow peaking over her glasses. Zari sighed and nodded. "I got home at around 11. I was very tired, so I kicked Zylen out of my room and passed out, alright?" She said. Prosper spoke up quietly. "Is that him?" He asked, his eyes staring at a tall man running towards the table.

"Yeah. Hey, Pietro! This is Jun, Grier, and Prosper. Guys, this is Pietro." Zari said, introducing them to each other. Grier leaned over and whispered. "You didn't say he was cute." She grabbed her cigarette from the short holder she had, stubbing it out in the ash tray on the table. Pietro grabbed a seat from a nearby, empty table and sat between Zari and Jun. "Why'd Wanda want you out of the house?" Zari asked, sipping her cappuccino. "She, Natasha and Maria were going to have a girls night in, and I wasn't invited." He said with a chuckle. "Who's Wanda?" Grier asked, wrapping her lips around the straw of her smoothie. "She's my twin sister. Nat and Maria are some of her friends from high school." "Where are you from? I don't recognize the accent." Jun asked, tilting her head towards the man. "I'm from Sokovia. It's a small country in Eastern Europe. Wanda and I moved here a few years ago. Where are you all from, if you don't mind my asking?"

Jun smiled. "I'm from Beijing." She said simply. "Prosper and I are from Las Vegas." Grier explained with a grin. "My brother and father and I are from the Dagomba tribe in West Africa. My mother was from Florida." Zari explained. He nodded thoughtfully.

"So, that's sone interesting hair you've got." Grier mentioned, ducking down her smoothie. Pietro laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah...I lost a bet with Natasha so she bleached my hair out. I kinda like it though." He smiled.

"What do you do?" Grier's question earned her a death glare from both Prosper and Zari. "Um, I'm a personal trainer. How about you?" He asked, leaning his elbows on the table. "Oh. I'm a dancer at a strip club in Brooklyn. Prosper is an amateur fashion designer working with Vogue." She explained. "I work at here, actually, with my brother." Jun explained.

The questions kept coming, despite Zari trying to stop them. Eventually, Prosper's face hardened and he turned to his sister. "Could you stop? Zari told us they weren't dating so you don't have to grill him like they are." His words were clipped. Pietro left out a hearty laugh. "No, it's fine." "Alright. Well, have you met Zari'so brother yet?" He shook his head.

"Oh, you're in for a surprise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jun is a Harajuku street fashion-girl, Grier is a psychobilly girl, and Prosper is a boy-lolita.  
> 身体- Simplified Chinese word for Health


	4. Mẹrin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zylen and Pietro finally meet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized I haven't touched this story in like a year.

At some point, Zari invited Pietro over for dinner.Not in a romantic way like Zylen joked- no, Wanda and her girlfriend were out of the house and Pietro didn't feel like being alone. Zari was already cooking dinner for Zylen and Iduwo and didn't think that cooking for one more would be too much trouble.  
''

Pietro arrived around 7. Zari was still waiting on the steaks to finish in the oven, so they migrated into her room. Zari barely opened the door before sighing heavily.

"Put a shirt on and get out of my room." She griped, throwing a sweater at her brother. He was sitting on her bed, a handheld mirror laying at his side. He shrugged the sweater on with a quizzical look.

"Who's that?" He gestured to the Sokovian. "Your boyfriend?" He asked, an eyebrow raised as his lips tugged into a lazy grin.

"This is Pietro. He's not my boyfriend. Now  _leave_." She said, eyebrow raised at her younger brother.

"I'm looking at my scarification and messing around with makeup! Like I've told you a thousand times, your room has better lighting." Zylen protested, his hands planted on his jogger clad hips.

"Fine. Pietro, this is my younger brother Zylen. He's...a piece of work." She said, gesturing to her brother.

Pietro smiled and stuck out a hand. "It is nice to meet you." He said, his accent clinging desperately to his words.

Zylen's face twisted with surprise. "Nice accent." He commented, the smile on his face turning sly.

A thin pink blush spread over Pietro's pale cheeks. "Thank you. Yours is nice too." He responded, looking at the floor as he spoke.

"I think we're going to be good friends."

''

"Bawo ni o ti meji pade?" Iduwo asked without looking up from his plate. The four of them were sitting at the dinner table, each with a plate in front of them. Steaks, a plate of Jollof rice, and a platter of fried plantains sat in the middle of them. 

"He wants to know how we met." Zari translated when she saw the look of confusion on Pietro and Zylen's faces. "Oh." The Sokovian answered.

"A ba ọrẹ lati iṣẹ." Zari answered, spearing a plantain with the tines of her fork. Iduwo nodded, still focused intently on piling food onto his plate.

"I told him we met through work." Zari told Pietro, who looked decidedly lost in the conversation.

Zylen snorted, raising his drink up to his mouth. "Ya, right. You gonna tell him you two went on a date?"

"Shut your mouth."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bawo ni o ti meji pade?- How did you two meet?  
> A ba ọrẹ lati iṣẹ.- We're friends from work


End file.
